By American standards, fake gold is anything less than 10 Karats/Carats. If you're wondering whether your gold is real, the most reliable way to find out is to take it to a certified jeweler and have it tested. If you want to check for yourself, here's a list of tests you can conduct to tell if your gold is real.

Steps

Method1

Visual Inspection

The first thing to do to check if you have real gold is to look at it. Look for particular signs that point to real gold.

1

Inspect the piece for official markings. A stamp will indicate either fineness (1-999 or .1-.999) or karat (10K, 14K, 18K, 22K or 24K). A magnifying glass will make this easier.

An older piece might not have a visible marking due to wear.

Counterfeit pieces can often have a marking that appears authentic; more testing may be needed either way.

2

Look for noticeable discoloration. It is important to check for discoloration in areas that face constant friction (typically around the edges).

If the gold seems to be wearing off and showing a different metal beneath it, you probably have a piece that is only gold plated.

Method2

Bite Test

We have all seen a movie where a prospector bites down on a piece of gold to test it. We also see Olympic athletes bite on their “gold” medal when they receive it. Whether that is of any use is another story altogether.

This is actually not a recommended test, as you can damage your teeth. Not to mention that lead is even softer than gold and gold-plated lead will appear to be gold when you bite it.

Method3

Magnet Test

This is an easy test, but it’s not an all-encompassing or fool-proof way to determine whether your gold is real. Something as weak as a fridge magnet will not be useful, but stronger magnets that you can find in specialized hardware stores or in common objects such as women’s purse latches, children’s toys, or even in old unused hard drives will be strong enough to perform this test.

1

Hold a magnet up to the item. Gold is not a magnetic metal, so if it pulls towards, or sticks to the magnet, it’s fake. However, just because it doesn’t react to the magnet doesn’t mean it is real, as non-magnetic metals are used in counterfeit pieces as well.

Method4

Density Test

There are very few metals denser than gold. The density of pure 24K gold is about 19.3 g/ml, which is much higher than most other metals. Measuring the density of your items can help you determine if your gold is real. As a rule of thumb, the higher the density, the purer the gold. Make sure to perform the density test on gold that has no gemstones of any kind attached. See the warnings below for important information about the density test.

1

Weigh your piece of gold. A jeweler can normally do this for you for free if you don’t have your own scale. You will need the weight in grams.

2

Fill a vial with water.

It’s helpful if the vial has millimeter markings on the side, since that will make it easier for you to read the measurements for this test.

It doesn’t matter how much water you use as long as you don’t fill the vial to the top, since the water level will rise once you immerse the gold in it.

It’s also important to note the exact amount of the water level before and after immersion.

3

Place your gold in the vial. Take note of the new water level and calculate the difference between those two numbers in milliliters.

4

Use the following formula to calculate density: Density = mass/volume displacement. A result close to 19 g/ml indicates either real gold, or a material with a density similar to gold. Here is an example calculation:

Your gold item weighs 38 g and it displaces 2 milliliters of water. Using the formula of [mass (38 g)]/[volume displacement (2 ml)], your result would be 19 g/ml, which is very close to the density of gold.

Bear in mind that different gold purity will have a different g/ml ratio:

14K yellow – 12.9 to 13.6 g/ml

14K white – 12.6 to 14.6 g/ml (higher for palladium alloys)

18K yellow – 15.2 to 15.9 g/ml

18K white – 14.7 to 16.9 g/ml

22K – 17.7 to 17.8 g/ml

Method5

Ceramic Plate Test

This is an easy way to tell if your gold is fool’s gold. Bear in mind that your item may end up scratched.

1

Find an unglazed ceramic plate to use. If you don’t have this, you can purchase a random piece of unglazed ceramic from a home improvement store.

Method6

Nitric Acid Test

This is where the term “acid test” comes from, and is a great way to test your gold. However, due to the difficulty is acquiring the acid, and the inherent safety risks of doing this in your home, it may be best to leave this test to a jeweler.

1

Place your piece of gold in a small stainless steel container.

2

Put a drop of nitric acid on your gold and watch for any resulting reaction to the acid.

A green reaction indicates your item is either a base metal or gold plated. A gold reaction indicates your item is gold-plated brass.

A milk-colored reaction would indicate gold-plated sterling silver.

If there is no reaction, you mostly likely are dealing with real gold.

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Community Q&A

Real gold is very un-reactive, but fake gold can result in some color loss. The bleach may not harm your real gold jewelry, but it may ruin any fake gold jewelry. If you are concerned about potential damage, consider taking your jewelry to a professional jeweler.

The K stands for Karat, while the number is about the gold content. Karat values range from 24K down to 9K. The gold content on anything 8K or less is so low that it wouldn't be considered solid gold jewelry.

Drop them into a small, clear glass of water. Real gold will sink right away. Fake will float and then sink. Then swirl the water around in the glass: gold won't move because it's a much heavier metal.

Tips

When we say 24kt or 24K gold jewelry, we mean that all the 24 parts in the gold are pure gold without traces of any other metals. This is considered 99.9 percent pure. 22K gold means that 22 parts of the jewelry are gold and the remaining 2 parts are some other metal. This is considered 91.3 percent pure. 18K gold means that 18 parts of the jewelry are gold and the remaining 6 parts are some other metal. This is equal to 75 percent pure. The purity goes down from there, with each karat equaling approximately 4.1625 percent.

In gold that is less than 24K, the other alloys in the item give it hardness and color. We can state that 24K is the softest and 10K the hardest, because 10K would have 41.6 percent gold and the balance would be other metals, which are harder than gold. The color from the other metals enhances the beauty of the jewelry, such as you see with white gold, yellow gold, red gold, etc.

Anything marked with GF means gold filled, which is actually filled gold. Divide by the number before the karat mark. Example... 1/20 14k GF is 1 part 14K gold on the outside of 19 parts of some other metal. So it is 5 o/o 14K gold and 95 o/o other metal.

24K is pure gold[1] but generally too soft for use in jewelry or coins. Because of this, other metals are added for consistency and this makes for different densities.

The markings are a bit different on gold jewelry made in Europe and indicate an item’s purity. The markings are typically three digits and are as follows:

10K 417 marking: gold purity is 41.7 percent

14K 585 marking: gold purity is 58.5 percent

18K 750 marking: gold purity is 75 percent

22K 917 marking: gold purity is 91.7 percent

24K 999 marking: gold purity is 99.9 percent

In Portugal, gold is typically 80% pure, or about 19.2K, and comes in three colors:

Warnings

These tests may not be able to differentiate solid gold from a tungsten plug covered by real gold.

Density Test Warning: The density test isn’t the most precise way to test whether gold is real, unless you know exactly what else is in your gold, and its associated density characteristics.

Density Test Warning: Due to the precise calculations needed to correctly perform the density test, unless you have a graduated vial that measures in milliliters and a precise scale, then the density test is very inexact.

Nitric Acid Test Warning: Nitric acid is highly corrosive. Precautions should be taken if it will be used for testing. The gold itself is safe, as it is insoluble in nitric acid however items that are not gold and are tested with this acid may be damaged in the process.

Density Test Warning: Many chunky looking pieces of jewelry are in fact hollow. If air is trapped in the piece, this WILL invalidate the density test, due to the fact that the gold will be lighter, while the volume remains, causing a smaller density. The density test is only valid for solid items, or for items from which all the air can be expelled by allowing water to fill the entire internal cavity. A small bubble of air left inside will result in an inaccurate result.

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About This Article

1,548 votes - 79%

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Co-authors: 111

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Views: 5,114,549

DN

Dave Norman

Oct 14, 2017

"I have a gold ring marked 9ct. There are no other marks. I was unsure whether 9ct was sufficient 'hallmarking' to legally identify the ring as gold, so that I can sell it (legally). Your article has reassured me that it is. Thanks."..." more

RY

Robert Yukutake

Jan 24, 2017

"Knowing how to determine if a piece of jewelry is genuine is critical. It could mean a huge difference in your pocketbook, and your peace of mind as well. The information here has helped me, and it will you as well."..." more

A

Anonymous

Jul 2, 2016

"I used all methods to verify my gold as being the real McCoy. I did this so I would be familiar with them should I decide to take it and have it tested to discover which places are reputable and which are not. "..." more

MR

Mike Roman

Sep 23, 2016

"Scraping a piece of gold on a ceramic plate to verify if the gold is genuine was in my mind, the fastest and easiest to conduct at home without buying anything and using what is probably already available."..." more

BV

Bridgett Voyles

Apr 9, 2016

"Everything was helpful. A lot of the information was new to me. I've since helped a couple of friends check their jewelry and referred several others to this page. Thanks for making it easy for me!"..." more

A

Anonymous

Oct 9, 2016

"I was evaluating a poorly-crafted figurine for a friend. All indicators screamed cheap fake. As it turned out, it proved to be 9 grams of 10K gold. Pleasant surprise!"..." more

KS

Kit Smith

Mar 28, 2016

"I knew about most of the tests, and your article reinforced my knowledge. What I did not know was the density test, which worked for my gold."..." more

A

Anonymous

Sep 13, 2017

"Magnet test. Bite test. Visual test. Turned out that I had some real gold. Metal detector found it. Also, the metal detector tip was useful."..." more

A

Anonymous

Sep 1, 2016

"Liked the organization of the content, the concise and to the point supporting information, and the charts. Professionally presented. "..." more

TP

Thomas Phillips

Jul 23, 2017

"Needed to know how to get the gold away from surrounding material using heat, and how to identify true gold! This article helped. "..." more

LH

Lynda Haskell

Dec 25, 2016

"I learned to test with acid after checking it with a magnet. I did use a magnifier, but have a hard time seeing the markings."..." more

FS

Fatimagrace Sanama

Mar 28, 2016

"Helped me to tell if gold is real. It's my first time in the world of jewelry, and my future will be better. "

A

Anonymous

Oct 4, 2016

"The density test helped me, because I have this 9ct fob watch chain, and I just wanted to verify it to be real."

RH

Renee Haley

Mar 13, 2017

"The ceramic test showed gold lines immediately. I used the underneath of a cheap dish where it was unglazed."

A

Anonymous

Apr 23, 2017

"The bite test helped a lot. Seen a lot of people do it, and was really curious of what they were doing."

A

Anonymous

Oct 28, 2016

"Three of the steps in identifying real gold and the general information on markings were good."

ML

Marie Lee

Mar 21, 2016

"Very helpful in teaching me about the different percentage of purity in each amount of gold."

A

Anonymous

Jun 7, 2017

"What helps me the most is knowing that every question that I had was answered."

A

Anonymous

Oct 29, 2016

"I think the bite and inspection was the easiest and worked the best."